I´ve been wondering if it´s possible to buy an old second hand 58 mm lense and simply just screw it on to the HS10 on top of its original lense, just like you´d do it with a filter.I´d like to do this so that I can get a higher aperture value = more bokeh than what´s possible to get with the camera the way it was born.What I´m thinking is that then then the HS10 should see what the other lense sees, but I don´t know if it´s that simply, and if the mechanical compatibility would be there even with the same size.

Jazzl - (D)SLR lenses come with brand-unique mounts, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, so on (with few 'compatibles' - I think Minolta and Sony are) - and are not threaded. Well - not until you get back to the '70s and earlier Takumar-etc M42 screw-mounts (good with adapter on any Pentax body, 'some' Canon) - but those aren't 58mm.

I have a Fuji HS10, too - with the usual Fuji-isms love-hate relationship - fabulous Fujinon lens - but would have been nicer had Fuji added a "full camera" to it..... While it isn't generally a good idea to "hang" anything heavier than a filter on the lenses of the powered bridge-zooms, we might, if careful, do okay with a light TC - Opteka does a 58mm 2.2x for well under $100.00 - on our manual twist-zooms.

For "fun-only" I'd been considering that - suspecting IQ would go downhill somewhat - as it would give a "virtual" 1,584mm-equiv...... Then if the images obtained - using a very steady tripod - were reduced to, say, 800 x 600 - they might at least be shareable.

If you want "bokeh" - or at least "background blurring", if not quite the DSLR 'creamy-bokeh' - try your HS10 on Std Macro. That Fujistically(?) has a range up to 16ft. Make the target about 6-12ft - using a rest or tripod will help, or use the 2-second timer, hand-held. AF-focus until the 'beep'. Now switch to Manual Focus. From there 'rock' the focus-ring either side of sharpest focus until centred. Press the shutter and if hand-held on 2-sec - steady the camera. Can have quite reasonable results.

Try that, and post back....

If you get reasonable results with the Opteka or other TC, I'll consider it for later - currently my wallet is vacuumed on buying a Pentax K30....

Do you have a link to the TC you´re mentioning?I was looking at an old Russian M42 mount 58mm lens, but I can see that it´ll prolly be heavy and therefore damage the camera if I´d succeed in mounting it.What´s that M42 thing anyway? Also, why do you first autofocus and then manually focus? I always only use the manual focus for bokeh effect pics.I will play more with using the macro in these situations as suggested - always thought it was simply for when up to max 10 cms from the subject.

Re M42 - these days, all DSLR makers try to keep their lens mounts - the mechanical connection, usually with electronic contacts, that fastens lenses to their brands of cameras - unique. That is - your shiny new $1,700.00 Canon "L" lens only fits your Canon DSLR bodies. If you also have a Nikon (etc) - Nikon certainly makes lenses "just as nice" - but you'll have to pay a similar amount to get a similar-functions lens that fits your Nikon.

That ensures that Mitsubishi-Nikon-Corp, Canon-Corp, and the others, all make profits from selling a whole range of lenses for their cameras - rather than a "one range fits all" model. Other 'third party' makers like Sigma and others also make their own models of lenses - but most they produce with different mounts - Canon, Nikon, Pentax, so on. So buyers - particularly of second-hand - need to be careful that their nice bargain 70-300mm DG APO Sigma "is" actually "Canon mount", if the body they have is a Canon.

Back in the 1950s-'60s-'70s - makers' "business models" were different, and some, not all, sort-of co-operated with a "universal" mount for Film-SLRs - M42 screw-mount. Some of these lenses were rather "so-so" - and some were quite excellent. Takumar (Asahi-Pentax) - made many good / consumer-level, and excellent / pro-level lenses in M42. In those days, Asahi was competing with Zeiss, to make the best lenses in the world - and the 'pro' ones, back then, were very expensive - like buying "Canon L glass", now.

But those are still around - they're all-metal, and built to last - and last.... Many of them are quite affordable - a Tak M42 SMC 300mm f/4 prime for $180.00 in 'Very Good' condition - a bit over $200.00 for 'Excellent' - is quite a nice lens, and very good optically. With an adaptor (about $30.00) - those will fit any Pentax DSLR - and I think, some Canon, though users need to be very careful that the lens base safely clears the mirror, I've read.

Obviously, on a modern DSLR, these lenses - and there are hundreds of versions of them - from the very good optically, Tak SMC 55mm f/1.8 sitting on my bench here - out to 400mm - are "full manual" and need a bit of 'technique' to use. However for folk on a strict budget (I'm on disability pension) - they make the difference between having some really good optics lenses - and not.

Some of these Takumar lenses also come in a K-mount version - from 1976 on. That's the same 'fitting' that my new K30 uses - so don't need the adapter. But you'll pay a lot more for the 'identical optics' in K-mount! Example - Tak SMC Version-2, 200mm f/2.5 prime (both have the 6 elements in 6 groups build) - in M42 - is a bit under $200.00 for "Very Good" - and can be nearly twice that in K-mount!

There's also an f/3.5 version of the 200mm in both mounts, for rather lower cost - still quite a nice lens and very usable.

There's a pretty good Wiki article on M42 - it's a fascinating subject:

As for the Russian 58mm lens - that sounds more like its Filter size than its mount - and it's the mount - the "connector" - you have to consider. But it is likely far too heavy for this purpose.

Re the 'AF focus first' - it isn't necessary with the HS10 - it just saves a lot of winding the focus ring before it reaches the adjustment range. AF to beep - select MF on the left side button - and the ring will be quite close to the adjustment range. Not surprising - as the HS10 MF isn't a mechanical 'manual', as in a DSLR lens - it's still electronic, just adjusted manually. Though in this example, does work much better than MF in a lot of P&S cameras.

Jazzi - I suspect that there's a margin between a "might-be-fun" 2.2x TC for our HS10s - and "ridiculous" - at the point of a 3.6x TC....

That would in theory provide an "interesting" virtual 2,592mm-equiv lens.... Just how a 10Mpix 1/2.3 sensor would "resolve" that, I shudder to guess - but do suspect that it wouldn't have quite the IQ of a Canon L-series 2,600mm lens - which would cost a little more than $40-bucks, anyway!

Actually - to be "usable" - if we could find TCs at about 1.4x - 1.5x - 1.7x - they'd be "better" than Opteka's 2.2x, let alone 3.6x. A 1.4x would give a virtual 1,008mm-equiv - so would have more chance of being able to be held steady enough on a good tripod, and focused.

Have another look at the HS10's "interpolated" internal 2x "TC" - according to Fuji (?!) - that 'combines' the optical and digital functions, using the camera's processor, to give 1,420mm-equiv. Using even a 2.2x TC is unlikely to be much, if any, better - because you're adding more glass (and not too fancy glass at Opteka's price) - for the light to get through - adding any errors in the TC itself, and multiplying both downgrading effects.

Since the HS10 AF is already "hunting" for lock-on at full zoom, even in fairly good light, and is often better with MF - adding any TC is unlikely to be more use than, of course, having a bit of fun...

TCs work best with FSLR/DSLR prime lenses - and both the lens and the TC need to be good quality. As I'm on a limited budget, with the Pentax K30 I'm going to try a Takumar SMC 300mm f/4 (when I get one) - with the genuine Asahi 2x TC (my landlord gave it to me, along with some other almost unused 1970s lenses.) It's optically designed to work with the (Asahi-Pentax) Takumar prime lenses. On the K30 crop-sensor body the 300mm lens is equiv 450mm - and the 2x will get to 900mm... Which is pushing things a bit - but from examples I've seen, will still be a bit better than P&S IQ.... Fun to try, anyway - as I won't be affording any lovely "big" lenses.

However - as I said earlier - with our HS10s - it's probably better to try - or have another go with, if you did before - the camera's own interpolated 2x TC function... Certainly won't give 'National Geographic' front-cover results - but does work a bit better than you might expect, if used on a tripod - and use the Timer each shot, to minimise any 'vibes'.

The RAW most sadly doesn't work in TC mode - if it did we'd be able to "doctor" the results better. So I convert to PSD (running Photoshop-7 in Linux) - and try to adjust the results. Don't "pixel-peep" (!) - and do show the images onscreen at reduced size - 1024 x 768s are usable. 800 x 600 a bit 'better'. You can resolve a car number-plate at over 1km (0.6 mile) doing that. Again, though - it's more "fun" than getting keeper-IQ images.